Apple Faces SEC Probe on Jobs Health Disclosure
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating Apple's handling of CEO Steve Jobs's health problems, according to a Bloomberg News report -- with the SEC wanting to know how his condition went from "relatively simple" to "more complex than thought" in a week's time.
The investigation hinges on what Apple's board knew on January 5, when Jobs announced he had a "hormone imbalance," and nine days later, on January 14, when he declared the problem to be "more complex" and that he was taking six months off work.
Since then, word has come that Jobs in fact was suffering from severe liver disease, enough to get him pushed to the top of a transplant waiting list. Since the transplant, Jobs has returned to quietly working part-time at Apple, with no further comment. While all's well that ends well, the SEC still wants to make sure Jobs and company did not mislead investors for the sake of keeping Apple's stock price high.
